The UK General Election brings a great opportunity to build parliamentary support for Tibet. In the run-up to polling day on 7 May, through our Vote Tibet campaign, Tibet Society is calling on our members and supporters to help us gather pledges from parliamentary candidates to support human rights for Tibetans in Tibet.5 May 2015: Over 350 parliamentary candidates have pledged support for human rights in Tibet. The pledges have come from candidates representing all the major political parties, denoting the wide support Tibetan freedom has in the UK...Read press releaseAs of 7 May 2015:386 candidates have signed the pledge, from 305 constituencies. 49 of the candidates are incumbents.

Following the election, successful candidates will be encouraged to honour their pledges by raising Tibet in Parliament, joining the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet and taking part in various Tibet-related initiatives.
How to participate1. Ask your candidate to sign a pledge card

As a member of your constituency I urge you to pledge support for Tibet.

Tibetans are currently living in one of the worldâs most repressed societies. The Chinese authorities routinely abuse Tibetansâ human rights. Tibetans are imprisoned for peacefully expressing themselves, restricted in freely practicing their religion and have no opportunity to choose their own government.

I believe human rights should be upheld and respected worldwide and I hope you, as a parliamentary candidate in my constituency, agree and will sign the following pledge:

âI will use my position as an MP to support human rights for Tibetans in Tibet including the freedom to determine their own future.â

The pledge is part of Tibet Society's Vote Tibet campaign. You can find more details at www.VoteTibet.com.

I look forward to your response.

[Your name & contact details]

c. Via social media
Find their contact details via YourNextMP.com, or for twitter use TweetYourMP.com, which is now set up to tweet candidates. Example tweet:

2. Let us know of any pledges made by candidatesContact us so we can keep track of which candidates pledged support for Tibet. Once verified we will add them to our online list of candidates who have made the pledge.

Use social media to promote both the Vote Tibet campaign and those candidates who have pledged their support. If possible take a photo of the candidate with the pledge card or poster and add to social media. Tweet #VoteTibet; message via facebook/VoteTibet and post through via other services such as Google+, Instagram, emails, etc.

Contact local press and media, let them know about the campaign, whether any of your candidates have pledged support and encourage the press to publicly call on your candidates to support human rights for Tibetans. If you have a photo of a candidate with the pledge make sure to send it to local papers.

Distribute Vote Tibet pledge cards at local forums, hustings and to friends and colleagues.

Display Vote Tibet posters in your windows, on local noticeboards and other prominent locations. Take photos of the posters and add to facebook.com/VoteTibet; donât forget to say where pic was taken (i.e. your constituency).

Tibet Society, the worldâs first Tibet support group, was founded in 1959. Funded by its members, it has been working for over 50 years to seek justice for Tibet through parliamentary lobbying, campaigns and actions. Help keep Tibet alive by joining Tibet Society today. Annual membership Â£24; Family Â£36; Life Â£500.Join Tibet SocietyIDonateMore details about membership